Ball Joints without a press

alright Iím doing it today and Iíve got almost the entire front end apart and ready to go back on, besides the ball joints. I donít have $200 to rent the press, Iíve got a hammer, a mallet, and some other misc tools, whatís the best way to get these out?
Ive got work tomorrow so Iím gonna be beating the snot out of them while I wait for some suggestions lol, I have a torch and I might try that too unless Iím told not to

First, you gotta disconnect the axles, and get the knuckles out of the way(12 point socket needed) Then you will definitely need a press. You may be able to beat out the old ones, but you have to press them back in, trying to beat them in will damage the new ones. Most auto parts places have loaner tools, granted, they charge your card and refund when it's returned, but it ends up being a free use tool. You got just a little rust there, I've seen worse. Clean the old mating surfaces with a wire brush and sandpaper before you try to reinstall. You can even add a little grease to smooth the install.

Just a little info when I did mine. I changed mine at 160,000 miles and they were original. Getting just one out took 2 hours. So I go buy one from Advance to bug can't get the inside clip on one of the caps. I bought one of every brand they carried and they were too big. So I tried to grind down the way on the axle and made it to big, so I just tack welded the cap in. Moral of the story buy Spicer U joints

What I need to know is what all do I need to disassemble before taking the ball joints out? What size socket do I need for the axle nut, if I need to take that out? I've never done ball joints, but I've got Monday and Tuesday off this week and I plan to get them done lol.
Basically, what "steps" do I need to take to take the ball joints out?

Pull the tire.
Pull the brakes.
Axle nut. 1 11/16ths? I think?
Or
Just pull the bolts that hold the unit bearing in place, and pull the axle with the bearing.
With all that out of the way, pull the cotter keys and nuts off the ball joints. Then separate the knuckle from the joints.
Use the press to swap the ball joints. Put it back together. If all goes well, should be able to do it in a couple hours.

Warning: The bearings like to become one with the knuckles. Chemicals, and possibly a pry bar required. Some folks have use a socket, and extension against the bolt, and used the power steering to get 'em to pop loose. (Jam the socket/extension in there, so when you turn the wheels, it pushes the bolt out.)

Pull the tire.
Pull the brakes.
Axle nut. 1 11/16ths? I think?
Or
Just pull the bolts that hold the unit bearing in place, and pull the axle with the bearing.
With all that out of the way, pull the cotter keys and nuts off the ball joints. Then separate the knuckle from the joints.
Use the press to swap the ball joints. Put it back together. If all goes well, should be able to do it in a couple hours.

Warning: The bearings like to become one with the knuckles. Chemicals, and possibly a pry bar required. Some folks have use a socket, and extension against the bolt, and used the power steering to get 'em to pop loose. (Jam the socket/extension in there, so when you turn the wheels, it pushes the bolt out.)

Good time to do front brakes as well.

Just re-did my passenger front brakes (Rotor and pads) yesterday, but I didn't do that soft line yet, seeing how this pad wears down now that I've got a crap load of grease in there now.
So if I take the axle nut off, does the axle slide out with the entire Knuckle assembly, without messing with the UJoints in there? I just don't wanna take anything apart because I'm 99% sure something would break if I start tinkering with it too much lol.